
Book. -^4: 

GotpghtN 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



CATALOGUE 

OF AN 

EXHIBITION OF CONTEMPORARY GRAPHIC ART 

IN 

HUNGARY, BOHEMIA, AND AUSTRIA 



WITH INTRODUCTORY ESSAYS BY 

MARTIN BIRNBAUM 




NEW YORK 

BERLIN PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPANY 

305 MADISON AVENUE 

1913 






; 



Thanks are due to Dr. Ferenc Hoffmann,who 
brought this collection to America ; and to 
Prof. Viktor Olgyai and Dr. Kalman Pogany 
of Budapest, to M. Stutzig and M. Stenc of 
Prague, and to M. Artaria of Vienna, without 
whose sympathetic cooperation it would 
have been impossible to bring this represen- 
tative group of works together. 



Copyright, 1913, by 
MARTIN BIRNBAUM 



. W~ 



©CI.A361091 



CONTEMPORARY GRAPHIC ART IN 

HUNGARY, BOHEMIA, AND 

AUSTRIA 

I 

HUNGARY 

Not far from the northern shore of Lake Bala- 
ton, dominated by the gaunt ruins of a castle 
dating from the Turkish invasion, there is a 
quiet little town known as Sumeg. At rare in- 
tervals it is crowded with smart hussars who 
take part in the military manoeuvres on the 
great plains near by. On holidays you catch 
glimpses of gaily dressed market-girls dancing 
the csdrdds, to the weird, rapturous music of 
the gypsies, but ordinarily its streets are dis- 
turbed only by lowing herds. At the foot of the 
steep hill on the summit of which the castle 
stands there is a modest house plastered white, 
with a memorial tablet on it from which the 
stra}' traveller learns that Karoly Kisfaludy 
was born, had lived, and died there. He was a 

3 



Hungarian poet of whom foreigners practi- 
cally never hear, merely because no one has as 
yet found it possible adequately to translate his 
inspired songs. Even a paraphrase of his pas- 
sionately patriotic lines would seem over- 
strained and too emotional. As well attempt to 
translate Robert Burns into Spanish! Only 
Kisfaludy's fellow-countrymen can truly ap- 
preciate such intense nationality, but the 
unique flavor of his native heath, which limits 
the poet's appeal, is one of his chief claims to 
recognition, and, in a measure, it is a qual- 
ity possessed by him in common with al- 
most every true artist in any medium. The 
Hungarian graphic artists, who address them- 
selves to our eyes, are of course more easily 
appreciated, or, as it were, translated. Even 
pictures, however, are often as strange as 
spoken language, and works of rare truth and 
power may exert no charm on the average for- 
eigner. It is for that reason, perhaps, that the 
world at large can with difficulty be persuaded 
to see beauties in the work of such original 
men as the Northerner Munch or the Swiss 
Hodler. It usually takes many years for artists 
of their type to command a cosmopolitan ap- 
peal. To the student and the connoisseur, how- 
ever, such men are most worthy of study, and 
it is encouraging to find that an artistically 

4 



youthful country like Hungary possesses many 
talented sons who are content to be occupied 
with national ideals. One of them, indeed, hav- 
ing mastered the manner of the great French- 
men among whom he sojourned, and having 
succeeded artistically and financially, delib- 
erately threw over their remunerative methods 
and gradually evolved a style which is thor- 
oughly personal, and therefore Hungarian 
through and through. We refer to Joseph 
Rippl-Ronai. 

This gifted artist, now in his fifty-second 
year, was at one time a pupil of Hungary's 
most celebrated painter, Munkacsy, who had 
turned his back on his native land because the 
recognition which meant so much to him was 
generously meted out by France and America. 
Rippl-Ronai for a time followed in his mas- 
ter's footsteps. He came into touch with Puvis 
de Chavannes, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Vuillard, 
Gauguin, Denis, and their circles, and so com- 
pletely assimilated the French style that his 
early paintings, which hang in the Hungarian 
National Gallery at Budapest, and the draw- 
ings and lithographs of that period, might well 
be mistaken for French works by artists like 
Toulouse-Lautrec or Vallotton. That entire 
period of his career is admirably described in 
his fascinating book of "Reminiscences," 

5 



which ought surely to find a translator. In 
spite of his success in Paris, however, Rippl- 
Ronai began to feel the call of his Magyar 
blood, and he went back to Kaposvar, his birth- 
place, to begin a new career. There he now 
lives among his vine-covered, undulating hills, 
in a grove of noble trees through whose arches 
he sees the peasants working amid golden 
waves of ripening wheat. The house is sur- 
rounded by beds of marigold and lovely zin- 
nias, which Fantin loved so well. He is away 
from all schools and all influences, and only an 
occasional letter from his dear friend Maillol 
awakens memories of the days before he was 
moved by his present ideals and the technique 
consistent with them. He has the true Magyar's 
rhapsodic temperament, and each etching, 
drawing, or even painting is an inspiration in- 
terpreted in a single sitting with the fierce en- 
thusiasm of which only a countryman of 
Petofi is capable. His charming family circle, 
the talented gypsy girl Fenella Lovell, the 
neighboring stone-mason, his cook, his Si- 
berian hound Olga, his peacocks, his horses 
and cattle, the adjoining fields and vineyards, 
are his subjects and furnish him with ample 
inspiration. The etchings will make an aver- 
age Whistlerian shudder, and his color will 
seem a daring sacrifice of nature to those un- 

6 



familiar with the brilliant colors of the Alfold 
and the principles of the so-called expression- 
ists. The vigor of a line stronger than Van 
Gogh's is natural to this robust artist, and the 
glowing yellows, intense blacks, greens, reds, 
and blues will always make the blood of a 
Hungarian tingle. His extraordinary stained- 
glass windows, ceramics, furniture, — antedat- 
ing Van de Velde's, — tapestries, delicate pas- 
tels, and interesting stage decorations for the 
Russian imperial theatres, all testify to a ver- 
satility as remarkable as it is rare, and the 
younger men have good reason to call this win- 
ning personality their "Mester" (Master). 

Rippl-Ronai belongs to no school, but a 
group of artists known as "The Circle of 
Magyar Impressionists and Naturalists" ("Mag- 
yar Impresszionistak es Naturalistak Kore"— 
abbreviated "Mienk"), whose art has similar 
tendencies, occasionally exhibits with him in 
Budapest. These men are, however, not 
graphic artists, and even drawings by them are 
rare. Among other important names in the 
circle, which exhibited for the first time in 
1907, are Csok, a fine colorist; Magyar-Mann- 
heimer; Katona, the poet of the hills; Stro- 
bentz; Kacziany, the mystic; and Vaszary, a 
master of decorative design. In addition to 
being members of "Mienk," these men belong 

7 



to the different Hungarian schools which are 
named after the towns where they make their 
respective headquarters. The school at Nagy- 
Banya, founded in 1896, is the oldest of these. 
An account of the men who were, or still are 
associated with it, is in fact, the history of mod- 
ern art in Hungary. Prior to its foundation, 
Hungarian artists were in the habit of studying 
in Paris, or in Monaco at the studio of Simon 
Hollosy, the romantic free-lance whose pic- 
tures are quite frequently met with in Amer- 
ica. Hollosy attracted many unconventional 
young artists from various countries, and in 
the spring of 1896 about a score of his friends 
and pupils left Monaco on an excursion to 
Nagy-Banya, at the foot of the Carpathian 
Mountains in Eastern Hungary, to do some 
plein-air work in an untrodden and unhack- 
neyed region. They occupied old barracks, and 
they intended to return each spring if the ex- 
periment should prove successful. The warm 
hospitality and enthusiasm of the town, how- 
ever, and the strong persuasion of the artists 
Thorma and Reti, — who was a native of the 
place, — induced Hollosy permanently to trans- 
plant his school from Monaco. It rapidly grew 
in importance, and now attracts from fifty to 
eighty pupils of various nationalities each year, 
but the founder is no longer there. Carl Fe- 

8 




JOSEPH RIPPL-RONAI 

From a photograph 



renczy is the present head of the school, and 
distinguished painters like Paul Szinyei Merse 
occasionally pay Nagy-Banya a visit and give 
the young artists the benefit of their own train- 
ing. The whole country was inspired by the 
national ideals of the men gathered there. No 
one ever went away unaffected, and indepen- 
dent groups of men followed the Nagy-Banya 
example and formed colonies elsewhere. At 
Kecskemet, Bela Ivanyi-Grunwald, formerly 
of Nagy-Banya, is the leading spirit. He is one 
of the modern stylists who go for inspiration 
back to the primitives through Cezanne and 
Gauguin. Geza Farago, a clever designer of 
decorative posters, and the brilliant colorist 
Erzsi Fejervary, a young woman who makes 
brilliantly colored designs for porcelain, are 
also there. Another colony was formed at 
Szolnok, on the banks of the Tisza, which here 
sweeps through the great Alfold. The whole- 
some German artist Pettenkofen had already 
discovered the beauty of the quaint Szolnok 
marketplace, with its paprika vendors, herds- 
men, and gay bartering peasants, its cartloads 
of vegetables and processions of strutting 
geese against a background of sunny white- 
washed walls. Adolph Fenyes is now the 
leader there, and began his career by startling 
his countrymen with works which are daringly 

9 



realistic. It was not a mark of enlightenment 
in those days to admire hideousness, and the 
deformed peasants of Fenyes had a stimulating 
effect which we can appreciate with difficulty 
in these days of fashionable ugliness. 

At Godollo the tranquil ideals of William 
Morris were worshipped by Alexander Nagy 
and Aladar Korosfoi, who started the artistic 
colony there. They cultivated the applied arts, 
painted frescos in which the old Magyar leg- 
ends were quickened to life, wove tapestries, 
and executed leather-work, furniture, mosaics, 
ornaments in wood and terra-cotta, and deco- 
rated books. There was no official interfer- 
ence, but the state started tapestry looms in 
the town and encouraged the formation of a 
national style of decoration in harmony with 
native literature and folklore. 

A more recent group is known as the "Nyol- 
czak," or "Eight," who are strongly influenced 
by all the latest French liberators, from Ce- 
zanne to Picasso. Not long ago, some of them 
brought out a curious portfolio of graphic 
works. When they are not working fever- 
ishly in their studios, these revolutionists and 
their kindred spirits can be found discussing 
art with Lechner, the well-known architect, 
on the Andrassy Ut in front of the Japan 
Cafe, while their exiled confreres do the same 

10 



at the Cafe du Dome on the Boulevard Raspail. 
They show, for the most part, at exhibitions 
which are arranged at the "Muveszhaz" and 
correspond to the Parisian Salon des Indepen- 
dants. Almost all of them have rare talents 
and work on a monumental scale. Among the 
artistic sights in the beautiful Hungarian capi- 
tal are the mosaics and stained-glass windows 
of Kernstock, who, with Por, Zobel, Tihanyi, 
Marffy, Bereny, Orban, and Czigany, makes up 
this group. Kernstock's few graphic works 
give only a vague idea of the mighty rhythm of 
his form and line. Zobel, Marffy, and espe- 
cially Bereny, will terrify the conservatives. 
Por, whose little animal studies are delight- 
fully expressive, has made gigantic frescos for 
theatres. He lives on the outskirts of Buda- 
pest, in a colony where all the studios, spacious 
and well-appointed, are built by the municipal- 
ity and rented to artists at a nominal figure. 
This group of fine buildings is a splendid 
monument to the paternal interest which 
Budapest takes in her talented men. Med- 
gyessy, who lives in the building next to Por's, 
is one of the numerous sculptors in the colony. 
He is now at work on a bust of Rippl-Ronai 
which promises to be a faithful and original 
piece of sculpture. All of these men are influ- 
enced by the Frenchmen, but it is in Paris itself 

11 



that the most daring set of independents are 
found. Alfred Reth, a remarkable Post-Im- 
pressionist, went to the French capital after 
leaving Nagy-Banya, and has since had an ex- 
hibition in Berlin under the direction of Wal- 
den, editor of the "Sturm." Korody, Csaky, 
and Kesmarky are ardent believers in Picasso's 
theories, and with the help of the ingenious 
Guillaume Apollinaire, poet and art critic, 
they are already setting Paris by the ears. 
Kesmarky created a mild sensation there with 
his "Crucifixion," in which he carried the prin- 
ciples of Cubism into the domain of religious 
art. Jules Pascin, who also lives in Paris, will 
be remembered by visitors to the International 
Exhibition arranged here last February by the 
Association of American Painters and Sculp- 
tors. He is a Croatian and is showing with the 
Magyar artists for want of another more ap- 
propriate section. This extraordinary fellow 
shares with Constantin Somoff the lyric grace 
of Watteau, but his little drawings are not gal- 
lant in the elegant and comparatively innocent 
eighteenth-century sense. His drawings are at 
times the last word in erotic raffinement. One 
of his little dishevelled dolls, thrown carelessly 
on a chaise-longue, can be as terrible as Beards- 
ley's Messaline, and he would have been the 
ideal decorator for la maison de la Comtesse 

12 




JULES PASCIN 



From an original etching by Emil Orlik 



Gourdan. A group of his paintings is an an- 
nual feature of the Berlin Secession, but his 
most charming vein is to be found in the col- 
ored lithographs which he made for an edition 
of Heine published in sumptuous form by the 
famous Pan Presse in Berlin. 

Not all the artists of Hungary have suc- 
cumbed to the wave of ultra-modernism. The 
finest graphic technicians, as might naturally 
be expected, are quite painstaking and conser- 
vative, — "antiquated," the young anarchists 
would call them. The most important of these 
men are Viktor Olgyai, who belongs to the 
Kecskemet colony, and Lajos Rauscher, a dis- 
tinguished architect who is the Nestor of Hun- 
garian graphic art. Both men have made 
interesting technical experiments with graphic 
media, and Olgyai, who is professor at the Arts 
School, has initiated most of the younger men 
into the secrets of etching and linoleum-cut- 
ting, a process practically the same as wood-en- 
graving except that ordinary linoleum is used. 
In his fine studio on the heights of Buda he is 
now at work on a series of poetical forest 
studies. His plates and those of his followers 
will be found sincere and straightforward 
rather than startling. That Olgyai's linoleum 
process has fine possibilities is shown by the 
interesting color-prints with a Munich flavor 

13 



executed by Kubinyi and Andor Szekely, and 
the strange symbolic little works of Gyula 
Tichy, whose talented brother Kalman has 
made some charming colored etchings of flow- 
ers, quite Japanese in feeling. Occasionally 
the works of a Mariska Augustin remind us 
that power is not confined to the men. Miklos 
Vadasz, an illustrator of the Parisian "Assiette 
au Beurre," is an accomplished artist now 
showing his works at the Ernst Museum in 
Budapest. Conrad and Lenard are mem- 
bers of an organization known as "Keve" 
("Sheaf"), which devotes itself to graphic art. 
They show fine plates, but unfortunately they 
almost invariably seek their inspiration out- 
side of Hungary. This is happily not the case 
with all the men, but it is curious to note that 
Budapest has not yet been discovered by any 
etcher or lithographer. Our own Hopkinson 
Smith and a host of other travellers found it to 
be one of the world's most wonderful cities, 
but the Hungarian graphic artists have yet to 
catch the beauty and gaiety of their capital and 
transfer these to stone and copper. The neglect 
of the artists is peculiarly unfitting in view of 
the fact that the splendid Museum of Fine Arts 
at Budapest is keenly interested in graphic 
works and already possesses one of the greatest 
existing collections. However, it is not too 

14 



sanguine to prophesy that in the near future 
men like Graf Zichy, Baranski, Angyal, Nagy, 
Wagner, and Arpad Szekely, who have already 
begun to depict native subjects, will turn 
their attention to the hospitable and gloriously 
beautiful city on the banks of the Danube. 



15 



^ II 

BOHEMIA 

i 
Rodin he described Prague as the "Rome of 

the North," and for Goethe it was the priceless 
jewel in earth's crown. Byron, Humboldt, and 
other distinguished men have sung the city's 
praise. Its many graceful spires, crowned by 
the Hradcany; the quaint Jewish quarter, with 
its ancient cemetery; the picturesque Green 
Market; the swift Vltava, crossed by beautiful 
bridges; and the fine Gothic and baroque edi- 
fices are only a few of the features which 
crowd upon the memory of the visitor. It is not 
surprising, therefore, that such an attractive 
city should be the chief inspiration of its 
graphic artists. 

A visit to the modern Bohemian National 
Gallery will impress this on the student, and at 
the same time will disclose the fact that the 
artists are officially, and rather arbitrarily, di- 
vided into two classes, viz.: Bohemian artists 
proper and so-called German Bohemians. The 

16 




EMIL ORLIK 



From an original drawing by the artist 



reasons offered for this distinction are racial or 
patriotic, but it is confusing to find that some 
men who studied and reside permanently 
abroad are placed in the first class, whereas 
others who live and teach in Prague are in the 
second. It is true, however, that the German 
Bohemians often exhibit with German artists. 
The etchings of Hegenbart, and the delightful 
wood-engravings of Thiemann and Klemm, 
for example, will be remembered by visitors 
to the Exhibition of Contemporary German 
Graphic Art shown here last year. Klemm now 
adds his amusing skating-rinks, and an ad- 
mirable cycle of black-and-white engravings for 
"Faust," which formed a feature of last sum- 
mer's Vienna "Secession." Grouped with these 
men are such notable technicians as Richard 
Miiller of Dresden and August Bromse of 
Prague. The latter reminds us now and then 
of Klinger, but a print like the "Old Melody" 
has great beauty and incontestable originality. 
Rudolf Jettmar also owes much to the great 
Klinger, but he has long since established him- 
self as a painter and etcher of exceptional per- 
sonal gifts. He often defies Whistlerian tradi- 
tion, but his technique is certainly justified by 
the dramatic impressiveness of his huge plates, 
which suggest Brahms in a tragic mood. Con- 
trasted with his sombre, often sinister subjects 

17 



are the gaily colored, etched fairy-tales of 
Richard Teschner, the Gallic satires of Michl, 
and the astounding list of original works by 
that lovable artist Emil Orlik. 

A man of unlimited enthusiasm, it is a plea- 
sure to watch Orlik handle the various groups 
of his students at the Academy of Fine Arts in 
Berlin, where he teaches. For each aspirant he 
has an encouraging word and intelligent, help- 
ful criticism to offer, and his own joyous 
works, strewn about the studio, amaze and 
stimulate the young men. With his paintings 
in oil and tempera, beautiful stuffs decorated 
with brilliant flowers, remarkable jewelry, 
wood-engravings which might well be mis- 
taken for the works of a Japanese artist, water- 
colors glowing with Oriental hues, precious 
miniatures on ivory, bold primitive designs on 
glass, etchings, mezzotints, lithographs, and 
surprising stage decorations for Reinhardt's 
famous productions, Orlik exhausts almost 
every field of artistic endeavor. In spite of 
this array of works, it is said that this prolific 
artist often carries his themes in his brain for 
many years before he transfers them to the 
stone or the metal plate. He modestly de- 
scribes himself as a "mountain-climber who 
always sees higher peaks ahead." Two visits 
to Japan, where he studied in the workshops 

18 




MAX SVABINSKY 

From an original drawing by the artist 



of the native wood-engravers, were particu- 
larly important, and he remained a genuine 
stylist, with a piquant, original point of view, 
although practically every important part of 
Europe, Asia, and North Africa added some- 
thing to his artistic equipment. It is with in- 
terest and pleasure, therefore, that we look 
forward to an American tour which he is plan- 
ning to undertake next year. 

Turning to the Czech artists proper, we find 
that Prague remains an extremely important 
artistic centre, in spite of the number of volun- 
tary exiles from the city. The modern national 
movement in art began there with Josef Manes 
(1820-1871), painter and patriot, critic and 
Czech enthusiast, after whom the Societe 
Manes, organized in 1887, was named. It is inter- 
esting to learn that one of its members, Vojt6ch 
Preissig, who is now teaching in this city, was 
the first to revive the interest of the Bohemian 
artists in native graphic art, and to create a 
definite movement. After returning to Prague 
from Paris, he started a press, and many of the 
leading Bohemian artists responded to his in- 
vitation by contributing to his "Ceska Grafika." 
The time, however, did not seem ripe, and the 
public did not support Preissig's efforts. One 
of the fortunate results was the publication of 
his valuable work on processes, which is very 

19 



useful to Bohemian and German artists. After 
an interval of several years, his place was 
taken by Jan Stenc, who now keeps the ardor 
of the artists aglow in a unique building de- 
voted to the development of graphic art. His 
most important publication is the truly mag- 
nificent volume of works by Max Svabinsky. 

High above the ancient city's din, opposite the 
lovely Powder Tower, Svabinsky creates his 
remarkable works in a studio where camellias, 
resplendent birds of paradise, and extraordi- 
nary cream-colored moths are used as exotic 
decorations. He has all the qualifications of a 
great artist, — the soul of a poet, the eye of a 
painter, and an unsurpassed technical ability, 
which is at the command of an intelligent con- 
templative spirit. Chance takes no part in the 
creation of these varied and wonderful plates. 
You will find drawings, etchings, and charm- 
ing silvery lithographic studies for such a plate 
as his superb mezzotint, "The Lady of the 
Camellias." His masterly portraits, poetical 
landscapes, and moving religious composi- 
tions call to mind the versatility of the old mas- 
ters, and will be a revelation to artists who are 
in the habit of specializing not only in media 
but even in subjects. Moreover, Svabinsky has 
been at work only since 1897, and his first etch- 
ings were finished not more than eight years 

20 



ago, so that the future of this untiring spirit 
holds promise of still greater things. 

The other artists whose works are published 
by Stenc, although not as versatile as Svabin- 
sky, have their individual styles and often an 
interesting outlook. Prague and her wonders 
exhaust their finest artistic pow r ers. Simon, 
whose colored etchings are so deservedly pop- 
ular everywhere, made a fine portfolio of 
views of the Bohemian capital in aquatint and 
pure etching, but he now resides in Paris, and 
rarely returns to his native land. Vondrous, 
on the other hand, who travelled widely and 
lived in America for a time, has again made 
Prague his home and is making creditable etch- 
ings of her many fine architectural features. 
Stretti, his brother (known as Stretti-Zam- 
poni), and occasionally Hofbauer, also devote 
themselves to the interpretation of the city's 
charms under all aspects. More peculiarly na- 
tional than any of the artists mentioned is 
tJprka, the Millet of Moravia. The customs of 
his people, their gay headgear, their wagon- 
loads of brilliant melons and pumpkins, their 
church processions and shepherd festivals, 
dazzling with simple powerful colors, fascinate 
this interesting artist. He has done everything 
that is possible to induce the peasants to retain 
their picturesque manner of living, and his 

21 



efforts have been rewarded with success. 
While his etchings lack the color thrill of his 
paintings, they are nevertheless sincere and in- 
teresting. 

The French Cubists and Post-Impressionists 
have as yet exerted only a slightly perceptible 
influence on Bohemian art. Signs of it have 
appeared in the magazine "Veraikon," which 
publishes plates by Svabinsky and Zrzavy side 
by side. We can only hope that the extreme 
manifestations of the movement will not affect 
the worship of obvious beauty, which is a 
cheerful characteristic of the present genera- 
tion of Czech artists. 



22 



Ill 

AUSTRIA 

With the opening of the great "Secession" ex- 
hibition, March 25, 1898, Vienna witnessed an 
important artistic upheaval which began as a 
sensation not unlike the one caused here by the 
armory exhibition of the Society of American 
Painters and Sculptors. The nineteen organ- 
izers, with Rudolf Alt as honorary president 
and Gustav Klimt as their real leader, wanted 
to be free from commercialism and academ- 
ism, and when they subsequently opened the 
novel building which had been built for them 
after Olbrich's designs, they served as "copy" 
for Viennese wits, only to become in a short 
time the leaders of Austrian taste and artistic 
style. All the great moderns were introduced 
by them to Vienna, and very soon Austrian art 
itself was recognized as a very definite thing. 
The literary organ of the society was "Ver 
Sacrum," and corresponded to the German 
"Pan." Its place is now taken by the publica- 
tions of the "Gesellschaft fur Vervielfalti- 

23 



gende Kunst," the most important of these 
being "Die Graphischen Kiinste." 

Practically all of the graphic artists, includ- 
ing many German Bohemians, exhibit with the 
"Secession" or in the still younger "Hagen- 
bund," but this does not signify that the men in 
either of the two groups are related in tech- 
nique. As might naturally be expected in a 
German-speaking country, we find that the 
great German leaders Klinger, Thoma, and Lie- 
bermann exert almost as important an influ- 
ence on Austrian artists as in their native land. 
Moreover, it was a German artist — Wilhelm 
Unger — who first introduced the Austrian pub- 
lic to the beauties of etching. He settled in 
Vienna as far back as 1872, and for many 
years filled a professor's chair at the Wiener 
Akademie, a position now held by Ferdinand 
Schmutzer, who is generally recognized to be 
the most important Austrian etcher. His gigan- 
tic plates, which adorn the walls of the famous 
Kupferstich Kabinett in the Berlin Museum, 
are, in spite of their size, conceived within the 
limita*^ons of his chosen medium. All his 
plates, from the colossal "Joachim Quartet" 
down to the exquisite little Dutch scenes and 
ex-libris, are etched with the authority of a 
great craftsman. His portraits alone would be 
sufficient to insure his position among the im- 
portant contemporary etchers. Professor Mi- 

24 




FERDINAND SCHMUTZER 



From an original etching by the artist 



chalek, who is a native of Hungary but teaches 
in Vienna, and Max Pollak, Schmutzer's pupil, 
have also done some admirable heads. Marino 
Lusy, whose work has a French delicacy and 
refinement, is interested in atmospheric ef- 
fects, while Luigi Kasimir is well known for 
his etchings of the architecture of old Vienna. 
All these men and their followers are able 
manipulators of the needle. 

An artist who has not so much technical skill, 
but whose inventive power amounts to genius, 
is Oskar Laske, a past master in the handling 
of the artistic problems which a crowd affords. 
He is the Austrian graphic artist par excel- 
lence, since Klimt takes unkindly to our media. 
Klimt has made, to be sure, some marvellous 
lithographs for Blei's translation of Lucian, 
but it is impossible to exhibit these to a public 
which can become hysterical over Paul Chabas' 
charming nude. Laske, on the other hand, 
although a well-known architect, takes the 
liveliest interest in etching and lithography, 
and exhibits in every medium at the Hagen- 
bund, of which he is a member. This modern 
Breughel will surely endear himself to us, for 
nothing quite so original as his graphic work 
has been seen here in recent years. Laske's 
manner of seizing impressions of human 
masses is really extraordinary, and as a carica- 
turist he has a rare fund of humor. It is pleas- 

25 



ant to note that he is still in the prime of life 
(born in 1874), and that much may yet be ex- 
pected from him. 

A still more daring original is Oscar Ko- 
koschka. He is a new star in the artistic 
firmament, and is not even mentioned by 
Meier-Graefe. In the recent exhibitions of 
modern art arranged in Europe he has been 
given a place of honor beside Van Gogh and 
Picasso, and the youngest generation hails him 
as a deliverer. To the conservatives he means 
nothing, but his lithographs, brought out by 
the Wiener Werkstatte, will at least arouse 
various emotions in all who are sensitive to 
color. Side by side with Schmutzer, Laske, 
and Kokoschka, there are many talented men 
and women whose art is affiliated with theirs. 
Their number is so great, and their work has 
been so adequately and thoroughly described 
by Karl Kuzmany in "Die Graphischen Kun- 
ste" (1907-1909), that it is unnecessary to at- 
tempt the needless task within the very narrow 
limits of this foreword. It will be seen that 
some of the men maintain traditions; others 
seek to destroy them. A goodly number, hap- 
pily, seek a middle course, and these will prob- 
ably save the gaiety of Austrian art from the 
gloom which is threatened by the extremists. 

Martin Birnbaum. 
26 



CATALOGUE 

OF AN 

EXHIBITION OF CONTEMPORARY GRAPHIC ART 

IN 

HUNGARY, BOHEMIA, AND AUSTRIA 

HELD AT THE GALLERIES OF THE 

BERLIN PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPANY 

NEW YORK 

DECEMBER 6th TO DECEMBER 27th INCLUSIVE 
1913 



LIST OF WORKS IN 

THE HUNGARIAN SECTION 

AGOSTON, ERNO 

1. Girl with Muff. Dry-point. 

ANGYAL, GEZA 

2. Canal in Kormoczbanya. Etching. 

AUGUSTIN, MARISKA 

3. In the Meadow. Etching. 

4. Village in Upper Hungary. 

5. The Hounds. 

BARANSKI, E. LASZLO 

6. a. The Mower. Etching. 

b. Nude. Etching. 

c. Village Street. Etching. 

7. Peasant Boy. 

BARDOSZ, ARPAD 

8. Disputation. Lithograph. 

28 



BERENY, ROBERT 

9. Nude. Pen Drawing. 

10. Portrait. Etching. 

11. Portrait. Pen Drawing. 

12. Seamstresses. Etching. 



BOTTKA, MIKLOS 

13. Book-plates. Aquatint. 

CONRAD, GYULA 

14. Hungarian Peasant Woman. Wood-en- 

graving. 

15. The Arno: Evening. Wood-engraving. 

16. The Forum: Spring Morning. Lithograph 

in color. 

17. The Lateran. Lithograph in color. 

18. Santa Maria Maggiore. Lithograph in 

color. 

19. Michael Angelo's Cupola. Lithograph in 

color. 

CSAKY, JOSEPH 

20. Nude. Drawing. 

21. Study for the Head of a Woman. 

22. Nude. 

CZIGANY, DEZSO 

23. Composition. Water-color Drawing. 

29 



EDVI-ILLES, JENO 

24. Flowers. Linoleum Cut. 

ERDEI, VIKTOR 

25. Awakening. Lithograph. 

26. A Couple. Lithograph. 

27. Head of a Young Man. Lithograph. 

28. The Model. Lithograph. 

29. Rest. Lithograph. 



ERDOSSY, BELA 

30. Fall. Linoleum Cut. 

31. Windmill. Aquatint. 



fejervAry, ERZSI 

32. Study for Fresco. Water-color Drawing. 

33. Porcelain Decoration. Water-color 

Drawing. 

34. Porcelain Decoration. Water-color 

Drawing. 



FENYES, ADOLF 

35. Village Church. Lithograph. 

36. Drinking Boy. Etching. 

GERMANY, ELEMER 

37. Girl with a Cat. Dry-point. 

30 



KANN (KOSZTOLANYI), GYULA 

38. Hilly Landscape. 

KERNSTOCK, KAROLY 

39. Men and Horses. Etching. 

KESMARKY, ARPAD DE 

40. Two Pencil Studies. 

41. Crucifixion. Pen Drawing. 

42. Two Nudes. Pen Drawing. ' 



KORODY, E. DE 

43. A Head. Pencil Drawing. 

44. Seated Nude. Pen Drawing. 

45. A Nude. Pencil Drawing. 



KRON, JENO 

46. The Metal-worker. Dry-point. 

47. The Iron Foundry. Etching. 

KURINYI, A. VON 

48. Smiling Woman. Mezzotint. 

49. Negress. Mezzotint. 

50. Night on the Puszta. Linoleum Cut. 

51. Amazon. Linoleum Cut. 

31 



52. Venus. Linoleum Cut. 

53. Salome. Linoleum Cut. 

54. The Sleepers. Linoleum Cut. 



LENARD, ROBERT 

55. Old Quarters of Toledo. Etching. 

56. Alhambra. Etching. 

57. Saint Cloud. Aquatint. 

58. Puente Alcantara, Toledo. Etching. 



MARFFY, ODON 

59. Woman and Vase. 

60. Composition. 

61. Nude. 



MARK, LAJOS 

62. Red Cap. Lithograph. 

MEDGYESSY, FERENC 

63. Study for Sculpture. Red Chalk Drawing. 



NAGY, SANDOR 

64. Hungarian Cemetery. Etching. 

65. Attila's Castle. Etching. 

66. Christ Preaching. Etching. 

32 



OLGYAI, VIKTOR 

67. Sunny Forest. Aquatint. 

68. The Bridge. Linoleum Cut. 

69. The Morning Sun. Lithograph. 

WINTER CYCLE 

70. February. Etching. 

71. The Brook. Etching. 

72. The Crows. Etching. 

73. Fresh Snow. Etching. 



ORBAN, DEZSO 

74. Landscape. Wood-engraving. 

PASCIN, JULES 

75. In the Park. Drawing. 

76. Kermesse. Drawing. 

77. Circus. Drawing. 

78. Dressing. Drawing. 

79. Children. Drawing. 

80. Drawing. 

81. Drawing. 

82. Drawing. 

PEPERA, KAROLY 

83. Hungarian Landscape. Gouache Drawing. 

84. The Bridge. Pen Drawing. 

85. Farm-house. Wood-engraving. 

33 



POR, BERTALAN 

86. Seated Nude. Etching. 

87. Three Landscape Sketches. Pencil. 

88. Composition. Sepia Drawing. 

89. Nude. Sepia Drawing. 

90. Oxen. Pen Drawing. 

PORGE, GERGELY 

91. Hungarian Peasant's Farm. Pencil 

Drawing. 

92. Shepherd. Pencil Drawing. 

93. The Market. Pencil Drawing. 

PRAVOTINSZKY, LAJOS 

94. House on Rakos. Etching. 

PRIHODA, ISTVAN 

95. The Box Party. Dry-point. 

RAAB, ERVIN 

96. Hungarian Wood-cutters. 

RAUSCHER, LAJOS 

97. The Water-wheel. 

98. Rothenburg. 

RETH, ALFRED 

99. Composition. Water-color Drawing. 
100. Composition. Water-color Drawing. 

34 



RIPPL-RONAI, JOSEPH 

101. Nude. Etching. Third state. 

102. Composition. Etching. 

103. Picnic. Lithograph. 

104. Ostende. Lithograph. 

105. In the Garden. Lithograph. 

106. In der Laube. Lithograph. 

107. Vase and Flowers. Lithograph. 

108. Invitation (printed on both sides). 

Lithograph. 

109. For "Les Vierges." Lithograph. 

110. Peasants. Lithograph. 

111. For "Les Vierges." Lithograph. 

112. Uncle Ripli. Pen Drawing. 

113. Two Nudes. Pen Drawing. 

114. Milkmaid. Water-color Drawing. 

115. Drawing for Gobelin tapestry. Water- 

color. 

116. Girl with Yellow Hair. Water-color 

Drawing. 

117. Liszt, after Munkacsy's Painting. Etching. 

118. Carrousel. Drawing. 

119. Dumas fils. Pen Drawing. 

120. Portrait. Pen Drawing. 

121. Girl with a Cat. Pencil Drawing. 

122. Fenella. Pen Drawing. 

RONAY, KAZIMIR 

123. "Lenke." Etching. 

SZEKELY, ANDOR 

124. Wash-day. Linoleum Cut. 

35 



SZEKELY, ARPAD 

125. Landscape at Felgyogy. 

126. Landscape at Diod. 



TIGHY, GYULA 

127. Apocalypse. Linoleum Cut. 

128. Fantasy and Analysis. Linoleum Gut. 

129. Classic Vision. Linoleum Cut. 

130. The Moment and Eternity. Linoleum Cut. 

131. Melancholy. 

132. Summer. 

133. Dying Spring. 

134. Willkur und Wille. 

TICHY, KALMAN 

135. The Sailboat. Etching. 

136. Flower Study. Etching. 

137. The Castle. Etching. 

138. Evening. Etching. 

TIHANYI, LAJOS 

139. Nude. Pen Drawing. 

140. Nude. Pen Drawing. 

TIPARY, DEZSO 

141. On the Bridge. Linoleum Cut. 

142. Edge of the Pond. Etching. 

VASZARY, JANOS 

143. In the Cafe. Water-color Drawing. 

144. The Stopping-place. Lithograph. 

36 



WAGNER, GEZA 

145. Strassburg. Aquatint. 

146. Pont Neuf, Paris. Etching. 

ZIGHY, ISTVAN 

147. Girl at a Well. Linoleum Gut. 

148. Noon. Lithograph. 

ZOBEL, BELA 

149. Girl Seated. Etching. 



37 



LIST OF WORKS IN 

THE BOHEMIAN SECTION 

BROMSE, AUGUST 

150. St. John's Vision. Etching. 

151. The Dead Girl. Etching. 

152. Evil Night. Etching. 

153. An Old Melody. Etching. 

154. "Ich Komme." Etching. 

155. Ecclesiastes. Etching. 

ENGELMULLER, FERDINAND 

156. Serenade. 

157. Winter. 

FOLKMAN, HANUS 

158. The Gnome. Aquatint. 

HEGENBART, FRITZ 

159. Prepared for Flight. Etching. 

HNATEK, BORIVOJ 

160. The White Bird. Lithograph. 

38 



HOFBAUER, ARNOST 

161. The Tiger. Etching. 

162. Prague in Snow. Woodcut. 



JARONEK, BOHUMIL 

163. Stramberg. Woodcut. 

164. Moravian Village in May. 



JETTMAR, RUDOLF 

165. The Ravine. Etching. 

166. The Fisherman. Etching. 

167. Prometheus. Etching. 

168. Building the Bridge. Etching. 



JIRANEK, MILOS 

169. A Slovak Church Scene. Woodcut. 

170. A Slovak Peasant. Woodcut. 

171. Janosik's Guard. Lithograph. 

172. Janosik's Camp-fire. Lithograph. 



KALVODA, ALOIS 

173. Nocturne. 

174. The Pond. 



KASPAR, ADOLF 

175. Bridge in Winter, Prague. 
39 



KLEMM, WALTER 

176 to 185. Ten Original Woodcuts for Goethe's "Faust." 
Forty proofs only. 

186. Zebras in the Ring. 

187. The Hill. 

188. The Kingfisher. 

189. Goats. 

190. Skating-rink. 

KUPKA, FRANTISEK 

191. The Circus Ring. Soft Ground Etching and 

Aquatint. 

192. The Acrobat. Dry-point. 

MICHL, FERDINAND 

193. In the Bois. 

194. Winzerhaus. 

195. Theatre Marigny. 

196. Promenade. 

MULLER, RICHARD 

197. My Spaniel. 

198. The Mouse. 

199. Rivals. 

MYSLBEK, KAREL 

200. Beggars. 

ORLIK, EMIL 

201. The Village. Lithograph. 

202. Hodler. Etching. 

40 



203. Hauptmann. Etching. 

204. Mahler. Etching. 

205. The Japanese Screen. Etching. 

206. Japanese Girl. Etching. 

207. Japanese Baby and its Mother. Etching. 

208. Study Head. Etching. 

209. Beggars. Woodcut. 

210. The Leafless Tree. Woodcut. 

PONTINI, FRANZ 

211. Hill Road. 

PREISSIG, VOJTECH 

212. Village in Snow. Aquatint. 

213. Book-plates. Etchings and Original Zinc 

Cuts. 

214. Slovak Village. Aquatint. 

215. Street in Prague. Aquatint in Color. 

216. Red Cap. Aquatint in Color. 

217. A View in Prague. Aquatint. 

218. The Seven Ravens. Etching in Color. 

219. Yellow Blossoms. Aquatint. 

220. The Swan Pool. Aquatint. 

221. Peasant Farm : Winter. 



SIMON, FRANTISEK 

222. Three Etchings from "Prague." 

223. The Snow. Etching in Color. 

224. Nocturne. Etching in Color. 

225. Notre Dame. Etching in Color. 

226. The Aeroplane. Etching. 

41 



STRETTI, VIKTOR 

227. The Green Market, Prague. Etching. 

228. Old Bohemian. Mezzotint. 

229. The Quai, Prague. Etching. 



STRETTI-ZAMPONI, JAROMIR 

230. Hradcany in a Snow-storm. 

231. Hradcany in Springtime. 

SVABINSKY, MAX 

232. Portrait of Dr. Salda. Etching. 

233. Crucifixion. Etching. 

234. The Hunt. Etching. 

235. Dvorak. Photogravure. 

236. Lady of the Camellias. Large Mezzotint. 

237. Lady of the Camellias. Small Mezzotint. 

238. The Old Man. Dry-point. 

239. Summer Night. Mezzotint. 

240. Lithographic Study. I. 

241. Lithographic Study. II. 

TESCHNER, RICHARD 

242. Island of Love. Etching in Color. 

243. Summer. Etching in Color. 

244. The Park. Aquatint. 

THIEMANN, KARL 

245. Cineraria. Colored Woodcut. 

246. The Meeting. Colored Woodcut. 

247. The Swan. Colored Woodcut. 

42 



UPRKA, JOZA 

248. An Old Man. Etching. 

249. The Rider. Etching. 

250. Peasant Girl. Etching. 

251. A Slav. Etching. 

VONDROUS, F. C. 

252. Traghetto. Etching. 

253. S. Nicholas, Prague. Etching. 

254. Bridges of Prague. Etching. 

ZRZAVY, JAN 

255. Woodcut. 



43 



LIST OF WORKS IN 

THE AUSTRIAN SECTION 

ANDRI, FERDINAND 

256. Market. Lithograph. 

GOSSMANN, ALFRED 

257. Peasant Girl. 

EHLERS, ALFRED 

258. Three Nudes. Etching. 

ENGELHART, JOSEF 

259. The Hunchback. Lithograph. 

FEIGL, FRIEDRIGH 

260. A Portrait. Etching. 

261. The Lake. Etching. 

262. A Portrait. Etching. 

FILIPKIEWICZ, STEFAN 

263. Village Church. Woodcut. 

44 



FRANK, HANS 

264. Potato-gatherers. 

265. Peacocks. 

266. The White Peacock. 

HANISCH, ALOIS 

267. Schonbrunn. Lithograph. 

268. Landscape. Etching. 

HEDE, JAHN 

269. Village in the Snow. Woodcut. 

HIRSCHENHAUSER, RUDOLF 

270. Haydn. 

271. Armide, 

HOFER, FRANZ 

272. The Roadway. 

JILOVSKY, GEORG 

273. Old Prague. 

274. A Fairy-tale. 

JUNGNICKEL, LUDWIG H. 

275. Apes. Etching. 

276. Macaws. Woodcut. 

277. Deer. Woodcut. 

KAINER, L. 

278. Nude. Lithograph. 

45 



KASIMIR, LUIGI 

279. Ulrichskirche, Vienna. 

280. St. Stephan's Tower. 

281. "Am Hof," Vienna. 

KASIMIR-HOERNES, TANNA 

282. Hamburg. 

KEMPF, G. VON 

283. Prof. Unger. 

284. Before the Mirror. 

KLIMT, GUSTAV 

285. A Study. 

KOKOSCHKA, OSCAR 
286 to 292. Seven Original Lithographs in Colors. 

KRIZMAN, TOMISLAV 
293. Village in Bosnia. 

KUBLIHA, F. 



294. Birds. 



LASKE, OSCAR 



295. Miraculous Draught of Fishes. Etching. 

296. Noah's Ark. Etching. 

297. Marmarameer. Etching. 

298. Children's Games. Etching. 

46 



299. Marketplace. Etching. 

300. Sketch. Etching. 

301. Aya Sophia, Constantinople. Lithograph. 

302. Mecca Pilgrimage. Lithograph. 

303. Turkish Village. Lithograph. 

304. Scutari. Lithograph. 

305. The Vanquished Dragon. Lithograph. 

306. Royal Exchange, London. Lithograph. 

LIEBENWEIN, MAX 

307. The Cat. 

308. The Child. 

309. Madonna. 

LUSY, MARINO 

310. Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Etching. 

311. Coin a Aidin. Etching. 

312. Chartres. Etching. 

313. La Pointe du Serail. Etching. 

314. The Mosque. Etching. 

315. The Wood. Etching. 

316. Rainy Weather. Etching. 

MELZER, MORITZ 

317. "Out of Heaven." Woodcut. 

318. "Ruckenreiter." 

MICHALEK, LUDWIG 

319. Self-portrait. 

320. Kremsmunster. 

321. Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach. 

47 



MOLL, KARL 

322. Snowy Road. Woodcut. 

MOSER, CARL 

323. Tyrolean Girl. Woodcut. 

324. Breton Child. Woodcut. 

MYRBAGH, F. V. 

325. The Last Summer. Lithograph. 

PACZKA, CORNELIA 

326. Nude. I. Lithograph. 

327. Nude. II. Lithograph. 

PANKIEWICZ 

328. Street in Dienau. 

POLLAK, MAX 

329. Boy from a Fishing- village. 

330. Winter. 

331. Volendam Child. 

332. Village in Snow. 

ROUX, OSWALD 

333. Peasants' Sleigh. 

SCHMOLL VON EISENWERTH, KARL 

334. Spring. Algraphy. 

48 



SCHMUTZER, FERDINAND 

335. Joachim Quartet. Etching. 

336. Ducks. 

337. Girl Sewing. 

338. Kainz in "Hamlet." 

339. Goldmark. 

340. Easter. 

341. Dutch Peasant Girl and Cow. 

342. Schnitzler. 

343. Augustusbriicke ) ~ , , 

344. Volendam J On one plate. 

345. The Secret. 

346. Fishermen. (Volendam.) 

347. Brahms' Study. 

348. The Cradle. 

349. Joachim bei Excellenz Kendell. 

350. The Kiss. 



SCHWETZ, KARL 

351. Slovak Cottages. Woodcut. 

SINGER, EMIL 

352. The Brook in Winter. 

STEINER, LILLY 

353. Spring. 

354. The Lone Birch-tree. 

355. The Hill Crest. 

356. Winter. 

49 



m 11 



193.3 

STOITZNER, JOSEF 

357. Snowy Hills. Woodcut. 

SUPPANTSGHITSGH, MAX 

358. Diirrenstein. Etching on Satin. 

359. The Meadows. 

TRAUNER, OTTO 

360. Jewish Cemetery in Prague. 

UNGER, WILHELM 

361. Pepino. Colored Etching. 

362. Steamer in Sight. 

363. Taormina. 

364. Lovrana. 

365. Wharf at Lovrana. 

366. The Bark. 

ZDRAZILA, ADOLF 

367. Rubezahl. Woodcut. 

ZOIR, EMIL 

368. Grief. Etching. 



50 



LBMy'H 



CATALOGUE 

OF AN 

EXHIBITION OF CONTEMPORARY GRAPHIC ART 

IN 

HUNGARY, BOHEMIA, AND AUSTRIA 



WITH INTRODUCTORY ESSAYS BY 

MARTIN BIRNBAUM 



NEW YORK 

BERLIN PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPANY 

305 MADISON AVENUE 

1913 



